Freenas build to move from Synology DS916+

[devilkin]

I've had a DS916+ now for three years. Two weeks ago it decided to bomb out on me - 4 disks disconnected from the bus at the same time (according to the OS logs), BTRFS crapped out, all data lost. Recovery has been .. near non-existent. Thank me for making backups!

So, while the nas is still in warranty (and being shipped out as it's diagnosed with having a hardware failure), I am not entirely sure I want to go through this again.
Hence, looking to maybe move to freenas. I've used ZFS in the past on Fujitsu M4000/M5000 systems, so I'm not entirely unfamiliar with it, but I'll need brushing up.

What do I want it for?

• data storage (duh)
• plex streaming of video (data) to other devices - this does not really require transcoding as I try to avoid that
• VM's
• docker containers

The build I put together sofar:

• Xeon E3-1220 v5
• Asrock Rack C236 WSI
• 16gb ECC DDR4
• CFI A-7879 case
• 4x WD Red 6tb (PMR) - my current disks

Am I missing anything? Is this overkill/underkill?

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

If you plan on running a lot of VMs I think this may be underkill a bit; especailly with the RAM. You may find yourself wanting more.

• Asrock Rack C236 WSI
• 16gb ECC DDR4

That board has a few downsides that might not be dealbreakers for you but are worth considering. First, all of its PCIe lanes are in a single 16x slots. Many add on cards only need 4 or 8 lanes. Once you fill that one slot up; its done.

The other factor is the limited memory; 32GB. FreeNAS is memory hungry; ram is used for the ARC to improve read speeds. VMs also need ram and depending on how many you plan to run you may find you wish you had more.

If you choose to stick with this board I recommend you go with 1 16GB stick. This way you can upgrade to 32GB without having to toss any sticks.

• CFI A-7879 case

How many fans does this have? Is it possible to get air over the drives in that case?

 

[Yorick]

plex streaming of video (data) to other devices - this does not really require transcoding as I try to avoid that

How will you handle VC-1 1080p BluRays? Handbrake to H.264 ahead of time, or rely on Plex transcode?

The 1220v5 will handle a couple VC-1 transcodes easily. You may still consider a 1225v5 or 1225v6, since the C236 allows you to use the iGPU for transcode. 1225v6 could also handle HEVC -> H.264; 1225v5 doesn't quite have the QuickSync features for that yet.

 

[devilkin]

That board has a few downsides that might not be dealbreakers for you but are worth considering. First, all of its PCIe lanes are in a single 16x slots. Many add on cards only need 4 or 8 lanes. Once you fill that one slot up; its done.

To be honest, I wasn't planning on adding more than 4 disks. Perhaps an additional caching SSD if it would ever come to the point where that would be useful.

There's the important WAF-factor to be taken in consideration here too ;)

The other factor is the limited memory; 32GB. FreeNAS is memory hungry; ram is used for the ARC to improve read speeds. VMs also need ram and depending on how many you plan to run you may find you wish you had more.

Hm, ok. I hadn't thought of that - this is my first NAS build, and those are good remarks. Wrt the memory, the plan was indeed to go with a 16gb stick for starters and buy another 16gb as time progresses. But perhaps I should indeed check for a board that has more upgrade possibilities.

How many fans does this have? Is it possible to get air over the drives in that case?

One 12cm fan at the back for the disks, intakes are at the front and the sides.

Are there any other small cases that are worth checking out?

How will you handle VC-1 1080p BluRays? Handbrake to H.264 ahead of time, or rely on Plex transcode?

Well, sofar whatever I had my LG tv could handle (which included some 4k 10-bit content). Unfortunately, I lost it all.
I try to avoid any transcoding whatsoever. Guess a the Xeon chip will handle it (vs whatever it was in my DS916)

 

[devilkin]

The case in question: https://www.chyangfun.com/product/cfi-a7879/

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

One 12cm fan at the back for the disks, intakes are at the front and the sides.

Are there any other small cases that are worth checking out?

I would guess that fan will be insufficient for the job long-term. You want the air to be going directly over the disks. Given the case design my bet is the drives will get relatively little airflow since it will be easier to pull in air from those size vents rather than by the drives.

As for recommendations for small cases . . . You might look at this Fractal Design Node 304 case. It has two fans that blow air directly over your drives and has easy space for 6 drives. I've never used it; but other folks use it. I do have another Fractal Design chassis that I love.

 

[devilkin]

I've also been wondering about CPU's. The Xeon feels like too much, and i3 will probably handle what I want to throw at it.

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

Perhaps an additional caching SSD if it would ever come to the point where that would be useful.

For performance's sake, add ram before caching SSDs since ram will always be faster than an L2ARC device.

 

[devilkin]

For performance's sake, add ram before caching SSDs since ram will always be faster than an L2ARC device.

Yeah, I wasn't planning on adding that blindly.